1 Corinthians 13:11-13 teaches that childish ways of thinking give way to mature understanding, and that faith, hope, and love are the lasting gifts that carry us through the present and into the life to come. Paul uses the image of a child growing into an adult, then of a dim reflection giving way to a clear face-to-face view, to show that our current knowledge is partial and that love stands above every other gift.
The passage sits in the middle of Paul’s famous chapter on love, which he wrote to the believers in Corinth. That congregation was gifted and lively but divided, and some were proud of spectacular gifts such as prophecy and speaking in tongues. Paul redirects their pride toward the one quality that never ends.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, and love remain—these three. The greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:11-13 (WEB)
1 Corinthians 13:11-13 Summary
Paul begins with an everyday comparison. A child talks, feels, and reasons in a child’s way, but a grown man sets those habits aside. Paul applies this to the church’s spiritual gifts: they belong to the stage of life we are in now, not to the full maturity that God will bring.
He then turns to what we see now: a blurry reflection in a polished metal mirror, compared with the clarity of seeing someone face to face. Our knowledge is partial today, but one day we will know as fully as we are already known by God. The passage closes by naming three things that remain, faith, hope, and love, and declaring love the greatest.
Context of 1 Corinthians 13:11-13
First Corinthians was written by the apostle Paul, traditionally dated to the mid-50s AD, to a church he had founded in the Greek city of Corinth. The letter addresses quarrels, immorality, questions about marriage, and disorder in worship, and Paul repeatedly calls the believers to unity in the body of Christ.
Chapter 13 interrupts a long discussion of spiritual gifts in chapters 12 and 14. The verses just before our passage (verses 8-10) say that prophecies, tongues, and knowledge will one day be set aside, while love never fails. Our passage explains why: the present gifts are partial, and maturity is still ahead.
1 Corinthians 13:11-13 Verse by Verse
1 John 4:16
We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.
(WEB)
John links love with knowing and trusting God, showing that love is not an add-on to faith but the way faith lives out its relationship with God and others.
Romans 8:24-25
24 For we were saved in hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for that which he sees? 25 But if we hope for that which we don’t see, we wait for it with patience.
(WEB)
Paul connects hope with waiting for what we cannot yet see, which matches the partial view of this passage and encourages patient perseverance.
A Prayer Based on 1 Corinthians 13:11-13
Father, thank you that you are patient with me while I am still growing up in faith. Forgive me for the times I compare myself with others or chase recognition instead of loving the people you have placed around me. Help me to put away the childish habits that keep me focused on myself.
When I see only a blurred picture of your plans, give me faith to trust you, hope to wait for you, and love that does not give up on others. Let love be the thing that shapes my days, until the day I know you fully, even as I am fully known by you. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “we see in a mirror, dimly” mean?
Ancient mirrors were polished metal and gave only a faint, imperfect reflection. Paul uses that image to say our present understanding of God is real but incomplete. One day we will see with far greater clarity.
Why does Paul say love is greater than faith and hope?
Faith and hope belong to this life, since faith gives way to sight and hope is fulfilled when what we hope for arrives. Love continues forever because it reflects God’s own character.
Is 1 Corinthians 13:11-13 about marriage?
The chapter is often read at weddings, but Paul wrote it to a church divided over spiritual gifts. Its main focus is the church community, though its description of love applies to every relationship.
